MUMBAI: In a stunning transfer move, UC3 has announced that American agency Relevent has won the prized global marketing and sales rights for UEFA men's club competitions from 2027 to 2033.
The six-year partnership, which followed what sources describe as a fierce bidding war, will see Relevent take the reins from long-standing partner Team Marketing, ending a three-decade relationship that has transformed European club football into a commercial juggernaut.
Relevent, a part of billionaire Stephen Ross's commercial empire, sweet-talked its way to victory after entering an exclusive negotiation period with UC3 in February. The agency, which already handles UEFA's media rights in the US, will now build a dedicated company focused solely on squeezing every last euro from the Champions League and its less glamorous siblings.
UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), went weak at the knees over what it described as Relevent's "innovative, dynamic and forward-looking vision" for the competitions.
"We believe that this deal will help us remain at the vanguard of an ever evolving and changing landscape," gushed UC3 co-managing director Guy-Laurent Epstein, carefully avoiding any mention of the eye-watering sums surely involved in the arrangement.
The deal encompasses the marketing and sale of commercial rights for the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League, and UEFA Futsal Champions League.
Relevent will handle media rights, sponsorship, licensing, account management, and "associated services"—corporate speak for the myriad ways in which modern football extracts cash from fans and brands alike.
UC3 co-managing director Charlie Marshall spoke of "driving a step change" and "taking us to the next level," suggesting the new partnership aims to squeeze even more revenue from competitions that already generate billions each season.
The switch marks a brutal end to Team Marketing's 30-year relationship with UEFA's club competitions. The Swiss-based agency, which helped transform the European Cup into the commercial behemoth now known as the Champions League, will continue managing the current 2024-27 cycle before being unceremoniously substituted.
In the corporate equivalent of a perfunctory pat on the back after a crushing defeat, UC3 offered its "thanks to Team Marketing for the strong partnership over the past three decades," before swiftly moving on to praise its new American suitor.
The agency switch comes on the heels of UEFA's controversial new competition format, which replaced the traditional group stage with a "league phase" featuring more matches—a change that critics suggest was driven primarily by commercial rather than sporting considerations.
Relevent chief executive & co-founder Danny Sillman described the UEFA competitions as "some of the most iconic and historic properties in global sports," promising to "deliver on the potential for growth with fans and commercial partners around the world"—a statement that will likely send shivers down the spines of match-going supporters already priced out of the modern game.
Industry insiders suggest the bidding process was fiercely competitive, with several global agencies vying for what remains football's most lucrative commercial property. The sales process for the 2027 to 2033 cycles is expected to kick off by summer 2025, giving Relevent ample time to prepare its pitch to broadcasters and sponsors.
While financial details of the arrangement remain under wraps, the deal undoubtedly represents one of the most valuable commercial partnerships in global sport, with billions potentially at stake over the six-year term.
